They say there’s light at the end of the tunnel — usually, anyway. On the Friday, December 16, season finale of We TV’s Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, the couples revealed whether they had decided to stay together or go their separate ways. Pretty much everyone was agonizing over the moment of truth as the final ring ceremony loomed near. (For those who weren’t actually married, Dr. Ish and Dr. V provided “promise rings” in place of their wedding bands.)
Another point pretty much everyone in the house agreed on: how “shady” it was that Amber Marchese had refused to take the lie-detector test the day before. “We have never accused one another of having an affair,” Amber said. “It’s never come up in our conversation.” Karen Gravano said she was taken aback that Amber refused to do the test, and Merika said it was “bulls–t.” When the other women in the house all confronted Amber about her comment earlier in camp that she’d had an affair with some woman, she totally shut down. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” she quipped before getting up and storming out … which didn’t really help her case.
Judge Lynn Toler Lays Down the Law
Before the couples headed into the final ceremony, Judge Lynn Toler gave her two cents on the state of their relationships. She thought Keke Wyatt and Michael Ford were “in trouble,” especially considering the fact that Keke thought she might be pregnant, and Michael was less than enthused about the prospect of another child with her. (Though, for what it’s worth, she spent the night before tossing back drinks at the club, so she wasn’t all that concerned about her potential pregnancy.)
Toler thought Storm had shown that he could change in how dealt with his relationship with Karen, but the judge wasn’t sure that he would. To Merika, Margeaux and Nikko, she simply said, “Good luck to all of you.” She praised Amber and Jim Marchese for “connecting the dots” on Amber’s intimacy problems, but didn’t seem too keen on their coupledom beyond that. (Storm reported that he could hear them having throw-down fights every single night behind closed doors, though they continued to insist their marriage was solid.)
As for Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert, Toler told the newlyweds that Jade needed to be “able to speak the truth” to her husband even when it’s difficult, referencing the fact that Jade had been caught lying about contact with exes during the lie-detector test. “I need Jade to stop talking to any ex-boyfriends, so we can enjoy our lives together,” Tanner reasoned to the camera.
Keke Reveals Her Pregnancy (or Not)
Keke and Michael were the first up to the ring ceremony. Instead of a ring in her first box, Keke had the pregnancy test stick (yes, the one she peed on). She was not pregnant, prompting Michael to say that all of their children “were blessings from God,” but he was happy they weren’t having another one. He then got down on his knee and gave her wedding ring back to her. It was all very romantic.
Jim and Amber Put on Quite a Show
“This whole process has been an eye-opener for me,” Amber began. “I’m a strong woman, and you don’t need to overprotect.” Neither of the experts were buying it when Jim replied, “I told you probably 1,000 times you are my queen, but I’ve known that there was a darkness, a secret. One that you uttered but never gave wings, and it’s hurt me for years,” he explained. “Every time I try to hold you, it shatters me when you don’t reciprocate.” He then went on to gush about how much he loved her, and they decided to stay married. Dr. V. called it “the most disingenuous display of bulls–t” she’d ever seen.
In other news, Karen and Storm decided to stay together, and after all that debate, Margeaux said she didn’t have enough time to decide between Merika and Nikko, and chose “both” of them. Nikko didn’t like that so much, and Margeaux’s fate with either of them was unclear.
Tanner and Jade Decide the Fate of Their Marriage
Fearing Tanner was going to run, Jade left him waiting at the ceremony until one of the experts convinced her to come down. When she did make it to Tanner, she admitted, “We came here to work on petty problems, but now I really do realize how much they affect our lives. And last night I saw how much you are scared to trust me. There are issues with all that, and I want to work on those, but I’m afraid that even when I do, it’s not going to be good enough.”
Tanner replied that she was right: “I thought we were coming here for petty stuff. I thought we were in a really good space, and we were really in love, but the last 24 hours has hurt me.”
Despite this, they exchanged rings (again) and decided to stay married. “I want to have a marriage that is beautiful in every way,” Tanner said as they kissed and cemented their union on TV (again). Later, however, during a video interview, Tanner admitted, “After she showed deception on the lie-detector test, I wanted to let Jade sweat it out a little bit. I was enjoying it.” Jade kind of gave him some side eye for that comment. In the final moments of the show, however, an update on Jade and Tanner said that Jade had “found her voice” and that “they are thinking about expanding their family.”
Tell Us: Do you think Jade and Tanner should have a baby soon?
